I50 



presence of immense myriads of excessively small protozoans belonging 

 to the family of ijeridinaans, associated in certain localities with 

 multitudes of infusorians allied to the well-known Paramcecium. These 

 latter appear to feed upon the peridineans and to emit an intolerable 

 odour, indistinguishable from that emitted by the putrid refuse of ill- 

 kept sardine-oil factories. The peridineans when occurring unmixed 

 give a bright pink-red tint to the sea-water and patches of this "red 

 water " — wholly different in tint from the brown-red of water dis- 

 coloured by the presence of the pelagic alga Trichodesmium erythraea — 

 were observed several acres in extent, and had a vertical extension of 

 several fast. The predatory infusorian on the contrary, as it grows in 

 size, tends to rise to the surface, where it forms a pale pea-green scum. 

 Local fishermen believe it to be pearl oyster spawn, as the individuals 

 when massed are distinguishable to the naked eye, so comparatively 

 large are they. 



2 2. Fishery statistics. — -A four years' investigation of the Tuticorin 

 fish supply was completed last year. The tabulation of the results has 

 proved most illuminative and it became possible for the first time to 

 trace with exactitude a fishery curve for each of the local food-fishes 

 and to assess their relative importance in the food supply of the 

 district. By far the most important ^\t valai ( Ctiiroccntrus dorah)^ 

 sardines, and rockfishes, taken in the order named. If similar 

 statistical enquiries were to be conducted at a number of selected ports 

 in other districts, we should obtain a mass of exact information that 

 would be of the greatest possible value in the future development of 

 our fisheries. The Tuticorin results have been tabulated in a series 

 of graphic diagrams and will be ready for publication at an early date. 



23. Fish-farming. — -The fish-farm at Tuticorin referred to in last 

 year's report was completed at the beginning of the last financial year, 

 and we have had therefore a full year's experience of the value of the 

 Italian system of fish-farming under Indian conditions as exhibited on 

 the East Coast of this Presidency. The results have proved insuffi- 

 ciently promising to justify a continuance of the experiment on these 

 lines, in spite of the fact that the initial year's sales offish and prawns 

 grown in the farm have totalled Rs. 4 r 3-9-7 as against running 

 charges of Rs. 541-10-4. I have no doubt that with the experience 

 gained the farm can be run profitably, but the margin cannot be made 

 sufficiently large to commend the system. Hence a reversion to the 

 French system (with modifications) has been proposed, as our knowl- 

 edge now points to this as being likely to prove more suitable to local 

 conditions. New plans and estimates have been drawn up and have 

 now been sanctioned by Government. In such a departure as this, 

 empirical methods have perforce to be employed, and only by repeated 

 effort and refusal to be discouraged by initial failure can the unsuitable 

 be eliminated and a satisfactory system evolved. The existence of the 

 farm and of the methods employed, although not the complete success 

 hoped for, have been of great benefit to the local line fishermen, who 

 have been enabled thereby to obtain regular daily supplies of bait, 

 -which previously they could never depend upon getting. The farm 

 has also been able to put on the local market regular supplies of 

 prawns from an uncontaminated source and this has been greatly 



